Stabbed in the back July 3, 2006

You can tell the domestic season is close – United are in turmoil yet again and we’re still a month away from kick-off.

Yes, England lost on penalties again. Part of me thought they were due a win, but really, were you expecting anything else? It’s funny how it tends to suddenly all go wrong for England time and time again. But it was really surprising that Beckham got injured and Wayne got send off with ten minutes of the restart. Astounding that both Lampard and Gerrard missed too. Stevie G looked like he was absolutely shitting himself, which is very unlike him.

Anyway, what I’m really worried about is the fall out of the Ronaldo saga – and it is a saga. Already hated by the press and opposition fans, he’s really gone and done it this time. I want to believe him, really. Perhaps you didn’t ask for Wayne to be sent off Cristiano, and yes the press will blame you. But it didn’t help running to the ref at the time did it? And you and Wayne looked so chummy in the tunnel too.

No, what really riles me is the fact that after the game, he confirms yes, he does want to go to Real Madrid, he has been negotiating behind our backs and after the tournament he will decide his future. Selfish bastard. And to think I have a shirt with your name on the back, stuck by you over two years of ‘show-pony’ and ‘all style-no substance’ arguements. I couldn’t care less what you may or may not have done to England (though admittedly coming back to pre-season training is looking a bit dangerous), but your head seems to have swelled beyond all proportion. There’s no saving you. You’ve betrayed your teammates, the manager who made your name, the club that put you on the world stage and the fans that adored you. Unbelievable.

All I can hope is that we take as much money as we can for him and invest it in someone decent. With the Ruud situation still unresolved, a lack of Roy Keane still apparent, question marks over the sanity of our managerial staff and a crazy American owner who may or may not invest in a squad urgently requiring fresh quality players, the 2006-07 season doesn’t look to rosy for Manchester United.

Ah the fresh smell of pessimism. World Cup’s not over yet, but the domestic season is definitely close.